My First Patient
by Salt-the-Catgirl
Summary: Just a little one shot I came up with for Toshio and Seishin, a story set before the series ever takes place, where in Toshio saves Seishin's life. Set right after Toshio's graduation and marriage, and before his father's death. I'm reusing their pet names for each other from FITCR. ...I don't mind telling you guys I got squeemish writing this. I actually don't do well with gor


_**My First Patient**_

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 _ **Synopsys & Author's Note:**_ Just a little one shot I came up with for Toshio and Seishin, a story set before the series ever takes place, where in Toshio saves Seishin's life. Set right after Toshio's graduation and marriage, and before his father's death. I'm reusing their pet names for each other from FITCR. ...I don't mind telling you guys I got squeamish writing this. I actually don't do well with gory blood graphics, and I attempted to look up the medical procedure for this. It didn't take long to start feeling faint, so I gave up trying to look.

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Young Dr. Toshio Ozaki enters the clinic in Sotoba. "Greetings, Toshio," one of the young nurses said, as he walked in, "It's good to see you home."

"It's Dr. Ozaki, now, Nurse Ritsuko," Toshio answered, with a smile, "But thanks, it's good to be back."

Ritsuko smiled. "Oh, right, you graduated college just a few months ago, didn't you? And you're just coming back from your honeymoon, too, if I'm not mistaken? Congrats!"

"Thanks," Toshio said, his eyes quietly scanning the clinic. "Not a lot of patients today?"

"Quiet as usual," Ritsuko said. "Your parents are both out at the moment. I've got your father's pager number, should any emergencies arise."

"That won't be necessary, Ritsu," Toshio said, popping a cigarette in his mouth. "This place will be mine one day, I may as well start taking on the responsibilities around here, now, and I'm in no hurry to see either of my parents just yet. Should anything happen, I'll handle it."

Ritsuko smiled and nodded. "Yes, Doctor." She looked around. "Is your wife not with you?"

Toshio shook his head, "Kyoko's staying in the city to help with her family's restaurant. We've agreed to live separately, she'll come out to visit on her days off."

"Oh..." the teenaged nurse-in-training placed a hand on cheek. "I see." She thought it odd, but decided not to question.

Toshio went outside to the gazebo and plopped down, lighting his cigarette. "May as well enjoy the peace and quiet while it lasts. My folks are liable to start nagging over every little thing, the moment they get back." He barely took his first puff off the cigarette when a car screeched into the drive way in front of the hospital.

"Is Ozaki-Sensei in!?" he heard a frantic female voice call.

"So much for peace and quiet," he scoffed, snuffing out his *fag and going inside. "Wait, that voice...?" He quickly realized he'd recognized that voice. It was the Mrs. Muroi, wife of the the old Temple Monk, and mother of his best friend Seshin.

"Hell, what happened?" he exclaimed, rushing inside.

"Mrs. Muroi?" Ritsuko greeted her.

"Ritsu-Chan, please tell me Dr. Ozaki is here?" Mrs. Muroi pleaded.

"What's the problem, Mrs. Muroi?" Toshio asked, rushing in through the next door.

Mrs. Muroi's eyes widened. "Toshio!?" she exclaimed, "We didn't know you were back?"

"I only just arrived," Toshio answered. "I was going to recover from the jet lag, then give Seishin a call to let him know I'm home. What's the matter, is Mr. Muroi...?"

Mrs. Muroi shook her head. "No, it's no my husband," she said, her eyes full of worry and tears. Toshio froze. This was the look of a worried mother.

"Seishin!?" he asked.

She sobbed and nodded. "He's cut his wrist, Toshio, and bleeding bad!"

"Where is he?" Toshio asked.

"Outside, in the car. Our assistants were all out, I had to pull him into the car by myself, and had trouble keeping him awake on the way here," she sobbed.

"Ritsu, grab the stretcher, hurry!" Toshio ordered.

"Yes, Doctor!" Ritsuko nodded. She rushed to the back, grabbing a stretcher and quickly following the young doctor out to the car.

"Seishin!?" Toshio called as he pulled the door open. The Jr. Monk gave no reply. His eyes were shut, the make-shift bandage around his wrist was already soaked through. "Damn, we need to get him inside quick!"

Toshio and Ritsuko moved Seishin onto the stretcher and quickly moved him into the ER. Nurse Yasuyo Hashiguchi lead Mrs. Muroi into the waiting lounge and brought her a cup of warm tea to help calm her nerves.

Toshio removed the makeshift bandaging around the Jr. Monk's wrist and gasped at the sight before him. "Oh, Sei, why?" he said quietly. The monk had cut straight across, rather than down the veign, but it was deep enough to have nicked the artery.

Toshio worked quick to clean and sterilize the wound and surgically repair the artery. He then stitched the wound shut and rebandaged it. The bleeding continued, but no where near as bad as it had been. He was not yet stable, however. He'd lost great amounts of blood, and his already pale skin was paler than usual. He'd not yet opened his eyes, and his breathing was abnormal.

Toshio already knew Seishin's blood type, and thankfully, the clinic had plenty on hand. Toshio quickly acquired and IV full of the required blood and hooked Seishin up to it, along with a medical drip to ensure that when Seishin woke up, he wouldn't be feeling much discomfort.

Seishin was moved into a room, and Toshio sent Mrs. Muroi home. "He'll need to stay here for a few days," the young doctor explained, "But I promise you he's in good hands."

Mrs. Muroi smiled and nodded. As much as she wanted to be with her son, her husband was bed ridden and couldn't be left unatended for much longer. Toshio and Seishin had been best friends since childhood. She hugged Toshio's neck. "Thank you, Toshio, if anyone can save him, I have faith that you can."

"I'll call you if there's any change," Toshio promised. The young doctor returned to his patient's side. "Hang in their, Seishin," he sighed quietly, "I won't forgive you if you die on me!"

Hours passed before Seishin opened his eyes. "Where...?" he muttered, his eyes scanning the room. "The clinic?" he mumbled, as his eyes landed on the bandage around his left wrist, and the IV in his right arm.

"Took you long enough to wake up," Toshio grumbled.

Seishin's eyes widened at the sound of the young doctor's voice. The Jr. Monk turned his head toward the voice. "T-Toshio!?" he exclaimed. "W..."

"I hadn't even been back in the clinic five minutes before your mother drove up with you in tow. Why'd you do it, Sei?"

Seishin looked down at his wrist. He was home from college, but still had some time until his graduation. "I was drunk and stupid," he admitted.

"That's no reason," Toshio scolded.

"I came home drunk, to be honest. One of my college buddies got me sloshed," Seishin confessed.

"You always were a light weight," Toshio teased.

"I didn't know you were coming home," Seishin said. "I know you recently graduated, but... Then you got married, too."

"I tried to invite you," Toshio said. Seishin didn't answer. "... Sei...?"

"Toshi, do you love her?" Seishin asked.

"Hardly," Toshio admitted, "She and I aren't even going to be living together. She liked me, and she's interested in the money she knows I'll be earning working here. We're living sperately, so she can stay and help her parents with their family restaurant. I only married her so my parents couldn't force me into an arranged marriage with someone they chose for me."

"I thought you wanted to get out of Sotoba," Sieshin said quietly. "I didn't receive the invitation to the wedding in time to come. Why didn't you have me or my father conduct it?"

"I wanted to, but she refused, she picked out everything, the church, the priest, the bridesmaid and the best man. She's sort of one of those hoitty-toiddy city girls, she didn't want any affiliation to anyone out here beyond my parents on her 'Special Day'... Just another reason she stayed in the city." Toshio leaned his head back against the wall for a moment in silence, then added, "Besides, just as my mother's jealous that your family's held in higher status than ours, I think Kyoko's jealous of our friendship."

"She could have at least let you have that much," Seishin said with a frown. He stopped and glanced around. "Toshi, where did you put my glasses?" Toshio smiled and pointed to the end table next to the bed. "Oh, thank you."

Toshio watched as Seishin reached for his glasses, just as he had his hand on them, the young doctor spoke again. "But back to you, drunk or not, I don't know what you were thinking. You gave us all quite the scare, Sei, your poor mother was in tears. How did you expect to write if you managed to cut that hand off completely?" he teased, trying to lighten the mood a little.

Seishin placed his glasses on his face, then looked down at his wrist once more. He frowned quietly for a second, then smiled at his friend's joke. "I wasn't thinking about that at all," he said, "Like I said, I was drunk. I had sent one of my stories to a publisher, but they turned it down. I came home, still in a drunken stupor from that, only to learn you'd not only graduated, but were off on a honeymoon. I saw myself getting stuck in this village while you got out. I guess I just fell into a depression." Toshio quietly stood up, walked over to the bed, and dope slapped the Jr. Monk on the back of his head. "Ouch!?"

"Idiot!" Toshio growled, "That's still no excuse for scaring all of us like that! If your mother hadn't found you when she had... If I hadn't been here when she got you, you would have had to wait until my father made it back! Do you realize what could have happened if that were the case!?"

Seishin smiled at Toshio. "You're right, it was stupid and selfish of me," he said, "I promise it won't happen again."

"I should hope not," Toshio grumbled, crossing his arms.

"So, how long will you be keeping me here?" Seishin asked.

"Two or three days," Toshio answered. "It'll be a week at best before the stitches come out, but I want to make sure you don't scratch the wound open by mistake or have another bought of stupidity." Toshio headed for the door. "I'll get Ritsuko to bring you something to eat. You've lost a lot of blood, so you'll need plenty of food to replinish it." He scratched the back of his head with one hand as he placed his other hand over the door knob. "You know, Sei, when I came home today, the only thing I could think was how much I couldn't wait to see you. But bloody hell, I wasn't expecting you to be my first patient!"

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*Fag = Short for Fagot

fag·ot (ˈfaɡət/) [noun]

plural noun: fagots

a bundle of sticks or twigs bound together as fuel.

a bundle of iron rods bound together for reheating, welding, and hammering into bars.

Also used for lighter kindling and cigarettes. I'm using the term in it's literal sense, people, let's be mature about this. It's a shame I even feel the need to use this disclaimer.


End file.
